Canada looks to tar sands, heavy oil to fill conventional-oil deficit

Journal Article · Mon Feb 26 04:00:00 EST 1979 · Oil Gas J.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5892227

Crow, P

The key element in Canada's future oil-supply scenario is tar sands/heavy oil production. It is expected to bridge the gap in the 1980s between the increasing decline in conventional southern-basin oil production and the startup of any future frontier discoveries. Production of the vast Alberta-Saskatchewan reserves is a technological challenge tapping the Canadian industry's whole range of expertise: conventional exploration and production, enhanced recovery, mining techniques, and refining. The problem of tar-sand/heavy-oil production is complicated by the many different types of deposits at varying depths. About 30- pilot projects are active in Alberta and 7 or 8 in Saskatchewan - all aimed at different reserves at different depths - and more are planned. About 40% use combustion processes, and 60% steam. J.R. Bherer, Petro-Canada Synthetic Crudes and Minerals manager, has stated that at least 4 multibillion-dollar oil sands projects will be in production or under construction by the late 1980s. Beyond that, a time cannot be envisioned when there will not be at least one plant in the works.

• OSTI ID: 5892227
• Journal Information: Oil Gas J.; (United States), Journal Name: Oil Gas J.; (United States) Vol. 77:9; ISSN OIGJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040401* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- In Situ Methods
True & Modified
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290500 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Research
Development
Demonstration
& Commercialization
294004 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Oil Shales & Tar Sands
ALBERTA
BITUMENS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CANADA
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
CONSTRAINTS
ENERGY POLICY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
EXPLORATION
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
IN-SITU COMBUSTION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
INVESTMENT
MATERIALS
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SAND DEPOSITS
OIL SAND MINING
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PETROLEUM
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
RECOVERY
REFINING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
SASKATCHEWAN
STEAM INJECTION
TAR
TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
VISCOSITY